[fullwidth background_color=”” background_image=”” background_parallax=”none” enable_mobile=”no” parallax_speed=”0.3″ background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” video_url=”” video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_webm=”” video_mp4=”” video_ogv=”” video_preview_image=”” overlay_color=”” overlay_opacity=”0.5″ video_mute=”yes” video_loop=”yes” fade=”no” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”” padding_top=”20″ padding_bottom=”20″ padding_left=”0″ padding_right=”0″ hundred_percent=”no” equal_height_columns=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” menu_anchor=”” class=”” id=””][title size=”1″ content_align=”left” style_type=”underline solid” sep_color=”#000000″ margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” class=”” id=””]USDA tops EPA list of Green Power users[/title][fusion_text]Friday, October 30th 2015
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) continues to lead in the use of green power according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Top 100 list of the largest green power users nationally. USDA ranked eighth among federal agencies and 92 among all sectors. In Fiscal Year 2014, USDA bought and produced a total of 57 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of renewable energy, up from 42 million kWh in fiscal Year 2013 and 37 million in 2012. USDA generates green power where feasible from a growing portfolio of on-site solar, wind, biomass, low-impact hydro, and geothermal energy systems. The Department also supports local clean energy production by buying green power products and renewable energy certificates from local utilities. The EPA estimates that USDA’s 57 million kWh of renewable energy is enough to power about 5,000 average American households each year. The Department’s commitment to sustainability also extends to the use of alternative fuels in fleet vehicles, recycling and minimizing waste, improving the design and construction of lower-energy green buildings and the purchase and promotion of renewable biobased products. To learn more about USDA’s sustainable operations, please visithttp://greening.usda.gov/. Green power is zero-emissions electricity that is generated from environmentally preferable renewable resources, such as wind, solar, geothermal, biogas, eligible biomass, and low-impact hydro. Using green power helps accelerate the development of new renewable energy capacity nationwide and helps users reduce their carbon footprints. EPA’s Green Power Partnership is a voluntary program that encourages organizations to reduce the environmental impacts associated with the use of electricity.
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